What if?
We may hear these simple words a fair bit in everyday conversation, but why not put them to good use. We’re doing that at The Western Producer as a way to offer information to farmers in a different fashion.
Today we are launching the first story in an occasional series we’re calling, unsurprisingly, “What if?”
The idea is to look at the future of farming, examine different scenarios or look at trends and extrapolate on them to see where they might lead.
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The series is the brainchild of The Producer’s Winnipeg-based reporter Robert Arnason, who saw an opportunity to report on the future of farming from a different perspective.
He noted that we regularly report on issues such as sustainability, changing consumer expectations and climate change. However, these reports tend to be in the moment, discussing recent developments and their impact. Important stuff, to be sure, but our What if? series will look at what might happen as a result.
Today’s series looks at tile drainage in Manitoba in regions that are notorious for water problems. Arnason’s story wonders, “what if more farmers installed tile drainage?”
Future What If? stories may focus on issues such as what would happen if there was a significant shift to organic farming, or — with climate change in mind — what would happen if our growing season became significantly longer.
What would you like to see us tackle in this series? Let me know at the email address below.
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An interesting story on page 54 of the Producer by Karen Briere shows how federal conflict of interest and ethics commissioner Mary Dawson settled the dispute over Mary Jean McFall’s appointment as chief of staff to Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay.
McFall’s family is the largest player in the supply managed egg industry, so her appointment prompted protests of conflict of interest. MacAulay countered that you could make the conflict argument about any farmer appointed to an important post.
However, the supply management side of farming is different. Government policy is also a major player. Dawson ruled that McFall will have to exclude herself from most discussions on the egg industry. He should have come up with that himself.
brian.macleod@producer.com
